the weblog of J. Max Wilson

My 2008 Presidential Endorsement

The impulse for corrective change in our national government is righteous. Everyone is sick of the corruption, the hypocrisy, and the failure of those whom we have selected as temporary stewards over our best interests. The politicians of the Republican party have, in many instances, proven themselves unworthy stewards and earned our reprobation .

Barack Obama has attempted to targeted this impulse for positive change with his rhetoric of “hope.” I have a number of friends and family members for whom this message is reasonably attractive. Obama has painted himself as a proponent of “new politics,” rising above the partisanship of the past.

I firmly believe, however, that this post-partisan visage is demonstrably a hypocritical mask, calculated to play upon the righteous sentiments of the people in a way to win votes, but offered completely insincerely. The mainstream media have been complicit in perpetuating this lie.

As part of this false post-partisan persona, Barack Obama has tried to paint his primary opponent as merely a continuation of the Bush administration, pointing out that John McCain has voted in-line with the Republican Party 95% of the time. But, according to non-partisan sources, Barack Obama has voted in line with his party 96% of the time (see this analysis from FactCheck.org)

For me, this fact is central to the presidential decision. While the slogan of voting for the man, not the party is a noble idea, it is ultimately a naive one. The reality is that, because of the way national politics works, when you vote for a man you are also voting for the party to which he is inextricably bound. Regardless of his post-partisan mantra, Obama has voted 96% of the time with his party. He has never taken a strong, public stand against his own party on any meaningful issue. He is a democratic partisan through and through. To believe otherwise is gullible in the extreme.

4. Obama has had long standing relationships with radical progressives and has systematically tried to white-wash his past to make himself more palatable to Americans, only distancing himself as it became prudent to win the election.

5. Obama purposefully obscures his socialist tax-credit system by falsely describing them as “tax-cuts.” The top 25% richest Americans already pay 83.88% of all the taxes. The lower 50% only pay 3%. That’s an even more progressive, socialist tax system than many European nations. And Obama wants to be even more socialist than that . We need less socialism, not more.

6. Obama has tried to blame the Bush Administration for the economic collapse caused by the housing and credit crisis. While it is true that Republicans repealed laws set up after the great depression to protect the country from another banking disaster, that repeal happened back in the late 90s’ and was signed into law by President Clinton. The problem was then exacerbated by affirmative-action style mortgage lending policies promoted by the Democrats . When the Republican’s proposed stronger controls on the industry to prevent the crisis, the Democrats blocked them. Worst of all, in only 4 years in the Senate, Barack Obama accepted more money from corrupt Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac than all but one other senator had in the last 20 years. See also: Planting Seeds of Disaster

7. Obama’s defeatism and opposition to the Surge in Iraq, which was not only an increase in troops, but a radical change in strategy, is unacceptable. Losing the war in Iraq is not an option. Retreating would have emboldened our enemies and lead to increased terrorist conflict. Contrary to Obama’s statements, the Surge has worked. Obama has no foreign policy experience and it shows. Even the President of France described his approach to foreign affairs as utterly immature . What do you do when you don’t have experience? You fall back on the party line, and that is what we can expect from Obama.

8. Obama has purposefully turned off security protections on his website donation pages so that he can accept illegal contributions from foreigners, people posting under fake names, and people using untraceable gift cards. This is a calculated move that some people estimate may account for close to 181 million dollars of his record breaking donations. This is down and dirty politics, not hope and change.

While it is true that the Bush Administration has an abysmal approval record, the current congress has been controlled mostly by democrats for the last two years, and in that time the approval rating of the congress has plummeted to the lowest in history.

And then there is the important concern for the Supreme Court. Four or eight years of Obama would be nothing, really, compared to the next 50 years of whatever liberal Supreme Court Justices he is sure to appoint. I have had enough of the “living-constitution” approach to the constitution, and while I am well aware of the problems with originalism, I want more conservative judicial review. (My favorite Justice is Clarance Thomas).

So, if what you are looking for is a post-partisan, moderate outsider, 96%-Democrat Obama is an ignis fatuus, a will-o’-the-whisp that will dazzle you as you follow him through the darkness, down unfamiliar paths to the edge of a partisan precipice where the illusion will vanish.

I cannot endorse such two-facedness. And while I empathize with the democratic impulse toward helping the poor and needy, and protecting the weak from calculating, predatory businesses , as a conservative I cannot support methods that the democratic party advocates to address these issues, nor can I support the the pro-abortion, pro-same-sex-marriage, anti-religious, big-government, socialist, fascist tendencies of the progressive movement.

That is a harder question. There are many things I dislike about John McCain. And the Republicans in general appear in many instances to have abandoned principles for power. Personally, the things on which I have disagreed with the Bush administration have been in those matters when they have acted more like Big Government Democrats instead of Limited-Government Conservatives.

To a certain extent, a quote from Tolkien’s the Lord of the Rings communicates my feelings on this decision. When the hobbits meet Aragorn, he seems an unruly, disagreeable type. When Merry asks why they should trust him, Frodo responds “I think a servant of the Enemy would look fairer, and feel fouler.”

There are many aspects of John McCain that look foul.

I voted against McCain not only in this election’s primaries, but also back in 2000. He has never been an appealing candidate for me. I dislike a number of his positions as well as parts of his personality and personal life.

But even though I disagree with him, I do believe that he is sincere in doing what he believes is right. I don’t believe he is fake. He is certainly a politician and plays the game. He can be temperamental and even downright nasty. But he does have a real record of bi-partisanship, and that says something. I think he knows that his party has been a poor steward and that he is sincere about trying to do things differently. I think he is what he says he is, even if I don’t like everything about what he is.

McCain looks foul and feels fair to me—well, at least fairer to me. 🙂 Obama, on the other hand looks fair and feels foul.

So, I reluctantly endorse John McCain for president.

However, for those friends who cannot bring themselves to vote for McCain, either because they refuse to vote for a Republican this year out of protest, because of his policies and record, or because of his personal life, I recommend that you vote for a third party candidate that best matches the principles you believe in:

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